Autotransfusion is a surgical practice in which a person receives their own transfused blood instead of banked donor blood. This process can reduce the risk of infection from banked blood supplies such as HIV, hepatitis C, cytomegalovirus, bacterial contamination and other transmissible infections and is commonly used in intraoperative and postoperative situations where the use of homologous blood is contraindicated. Transfusion with banked blood supplies can increase the risk of acute or delayed hemolytic reactions, allergic reactions, post-transfusion purpura and transfusion-associated acute lung injury (TRALI). In addition, some patients refuse transfusion with banked blood due to philosophical differences or spiritual beliefs.
The use of autotransfusion can be particularly beneficial where the patient is at risk of losing one or more units of blood during surgery, in cases involving rare blood types, or where the risk of infectious disease transmission is high. Certain types of surgery, e.g., joint replacements, aneurism, or spinal repair are known to produce proportionally larger blood loss than other types of surgery. Thus, the use of autotransfused blood in these circumstances can be particularly beneficial.
Certain devices are capable of collecting blood from the surgical field, separating viable red blood cells from plasma, platelets, white cells, anticoagulants, and other substances, and re-introduce the red blood cells into the patient. One such device is produced by Haemonetics Corp. of Braintree, Mass., and sold under the “Cell Saver”™ brand.